16.
Two people dance and sway in the night
The boy tells the girl to look in his eyes
In his arms, she trembles and tries not cry
She knows it’s the last night they’ll have in this life
-so close-
The girl watches this dream, wonders who they are
Then she sees herself, and he’s holding her heart
She never knew how much pain it would bring them to part
Not ‘til the moment under the stars…

17.
Mercy so relentless it died a criminal’s death
Love so jealous it overcame every rival for her heart

Notebook flipped open to an empty page

Pencil in hand, eraser in range

A mess of ideas desperately waiting to be written

But yet I think to myself, "Where is my inspiration?!"

Empty, like a useless vessel, I feel

If I was really blessed with such an incredible gift

Why am I not pouring it out to the world?

Oh what a God-given gift I have blessed with!

The gift to design a world of my own

The gift to sing without a voice

The gift to fly on the wings of the wind

Hey, I won't be posting all of this. I'm entering a novel writing competition (check out www.bookartsbash.com!! ) and this is an excerpt from a novel I'm considering. PLEASE, I LOVE CONSTRUCTIVE CRIT.!! Thanks!

Sparrow
No pretty song to recommend me,
No colorful coat of which to boast.
Little wings in dusty brown,
Black eyes of no importance
And an earthy song
Are all I lay claim to.
Others birds laugh and sigh
To see such a bird as I,
Who lacks even a tiny splash
Of brighter color.
Yet happiness fills me
And I sing despite my
Awkward harmony.
For I own a piece of the sky...

When I read Flight, I was impressed by your skill with words, but even more amazing was the yearning underlying—or is it overlaying?—every word. I too have struggled with the sky-sickness and fought the flight-longing.

Part Six: Irtyla

Irtyla had been a relatively peaceful area of late, when compared to the dwellings of the other races.  Elves had been preparing at a frantic rate for battle, and the dwarves had already engaged in a small skirmish outside the Spotted Hills.  Centaurs were being a bit secretive about what they were doing, but nobody doubted that it was something big.

              This came about in an odd way. I had no inspiration whatsoever; I did not think about it, but simply let it flow from my mind to the page.

Chapter Two: Darkness

Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness. ~Job 30:26

“Tell us where they are,”

I tasted blood on my lips.

Footsteps approached. I tried to scream, but the gag ate my words.

Mother entered first. Devin’s sword caught her in the throat, tracing an evil necklace of blood. She fell to the ground, unable to scream.

Go back.
The words rocketed through my wings like poison. I plunged earthward, unable to react.
Go back.
Rage burned my spine, leaving behind a sick numbness. I forced my wings into the rippling air to slow my fall. As the ground grew closer, I spied a narrow perch near the crown of a fir. I pulled my wings in, extending my long, thin toes and curling them around the branch.
Go back.

Everything looks as tiny as a dragonfly,
When you are soaring in the sky.

Soaring above the highest cloud,
Everything is quiet, not loud.

Amid the silence,
You are afar from violence.

In this silent affair,
Blow freely, will your hair.

Brightly colored are your wings,
They are such beautiful things.

While soaring, you will never want to come down,
Onto the noisy streets of the town.